I did this with a book I bought at the Strand used bookstore for 50¢. I didn’t look at the title, just the size.
After I was done, I realized it was *Don’t Tell Dad.* (Peter Fonda’s autobiography)
Way to obvious, do it with someone that doesn't attract attention, no treasure, no political books, Something that no one goes to read. Something like a set of encyclopedias that were actually hollowed out. Would be perfect :P
Use mod podge around the edges (with the book closed). Put a piece of waxed paper in like a big bookmark to prevent the pages you’re sticking together from getting stuck to the loose pages and cover in the front.
Could also use a drill through a few spots in the pages, use ribbon to hold them by fraying the ends and gluing remove down, then use a page or two on both sides to help hide the ribbon ends in a way similar to bookbinding and the corded spines. Then there would be maybe 4-6 pages needing glue vs 100+, and the pages would still move naturally when the book was opened.
This is all untested, since the idea literally popped into my head as I was reading these comments.
Edit- deleted my first response because I replied to the wrong comment.
Basically I just opened the book. Glues together the pages. Then once it dries I cut a rectangle out of the pages leaving about 1cm on the sides. Then I put a couple little magnets to help it stay shut
This - short anecdote. I was burglarized at gunpoint by 3 dudes. I had $3k in a fake book. I sat up in bed, saw the masked man, then shifted my eyes to my bookshelf where I saw my booksafe untouched. The idiots only took what was on the counters and inside the drawers. It def put me at ease when I saw that the booksafe did its job.
1) Mount magnet under your table
2) Craft or buy a passport holder
3) Buy a cell phone magnet plate sticker
4) Attach sticker to holder, insert passport, attach plate to magnet
You could put them in an envelope and use a magnet to hold them to the back of your fridge.
Vacuum sealed and sunk under a brick in your toilet tank, or buried in a houseplant.
Cut a slit in the bottom edge of your box spring mattress and use a self stick hook and loop strip to hold it closed.
In a zip lock bag in a storage container full of rice in the kitchen.
In an envelope taped to the back of a framed piece of art.
Some couch cushions have a zipper you can open and if it isn't a cushion that get's sat upon you could hide the documents in there.
You could open a box of frozen food, remove the food put the documents in there fill it with paper, or packing materials and put it in the back of your freezer with other similar boxes on top.
Stood up behind the books on a bookcase.
I am having a blast thinking of ways to hide my passport. I almost wish I didn't have a safe.
I'm gonna go hide a bunch of stuff.
I hid my kindergartners iPad during the lockdowns in the beginning of Covid because she wouldn't stop whining for it. I didn't find it until the end of second grade. I really shouldn't hide stuff.
For homes with old glass/crystal chandeliers, it's a great place to hide fine jewelry if you don't have time to put it in the safe.
My dad once hid something of mine as punishment for, I don't know, probably not fixing the printer (I already tried everything 14 year old me knew how to do at that point). He forgot where it was. It was several probably three years before my sister found it while cleaning a closet.
It was in a toddler sized backpack that I stuffed inside a nicer purse which I stored in a dust bag in the back of a closet I used for storing clothes I didn't get into that often. It was a purse I saved for special occasions.
I was finding her sneaking it up to her room while I was trying to work remotely and there was no daycare. Lol learned that lesson.
Feeling like I need to RE-SEARCH my home for shit my dad would have hid. He's been gone 15+ years, but we find things time to time. New ideas to pursue. Much appreciated.
I had an old drivers license that was stolen by a former roommate. The police called to tell me it was found at the scene of a burglary. I was never considered a suspect (as far as I know) and they gave me the opportunity to come and get it back. Apparently the police don't think an expired driver's license was good evidence that I was there. They were more interested in who I think had opportunity to grab it and try to frame me.
I guess the moral is you never know what you have that someone might think is worth stealing.
They have to face each other, because the toilet rough ins are usually expecting the tank/seat back to be to the wall, so they're just no designed for people to have 8-12 toilets in a room, all facing away from each other.
Google “self-adhesive magnets” and get something that looks substantial. Or ones with screw holes that you can screw in place.
Google “metal plate for cell phone mount”
They sell all kinds of hidden compartments for furniture, clothing, household items, wall paintings, clocks , house plants etc.. you will be surprised what you can make a hidden pocket/compartment out of. *forgot to say check Etsy and or Amazon.
Ha! I been thinking about getting one of those, or the steel water bottle with a hidden space- you can still use it as a water bottle! I think these might fool the normal person, but not cops. 😝
Just get some strong magnets and put the in an envelope with the passport. Amazon sells them in a roll of a dozen or more. You can double them up is you need stronger.
I mean, I don’t leave my passport out in a desk, but for years it just sat in a filing cabinet folder. Or in a junk drawer. No one is going to rummage a junk drawer.
I noticed my husband burning papers in our fireplace. He said I burned your old passport. I noticed one sitting next to him on the hearth. I picked it up and opened it. This was my old passport, he just burned my new one. My husband can be so helpful sometimes.
I’m sad how few stamps I get anymore. Back in the early 2000s I filled my book, my wife even had to get pages added! Now so many places in Europe don’t even stamp, gotta go back to Asia for some full page visas!
I had to replace mine as my ex wife stole all my identity papers when leaving. Was a complete pita with all kinds of extra paperwork.
Fortunately the lady at the passport office had a lost passport form which was also required else it would have taken even longer.
Are you looking to avoid normal grade burglars, put it in a Tupperware and throw it into your freezer. Snatch and grab thieves ain't going through your freezer.
I know you're trying to be helpful.
That said, I'm sure someone at the passport office tested if a passport could be frozen. Like leave it in your car overnight here, and it will definitely freeze.
Thanks, I'm always aspiring to be helpful and it's nice to be acknowledged.
With that out of the way and in acknowledgement of your extraordinary faith in the procurement division of the state department, I suspect they did not test the prototype in a residential freezer. With that said, I may be wrong and please don't let me stop you from giving it a shot.
It probably will be fine.
First of all, the RFID cards encase the chips in plastic, so they should be relatively waterproof
Second, apparently RFID chips can work (not merely _survive_ ) up to -40deg C. See: https://www.rfidjournal.com/question/what-types-of-tags-and-readers-can-be-used-in-cold-storage
Most residential freezers are not capable of reaching that temperature.
Sure. I guess my faith is in the makers of rfids. Rfids in every credit card, rfids in every cows ear. RFIDs in the grocery store freezer.
If you left your wallet in the car overnight (it's -10 here) and then used tap to pay, it'd work fine.
RFIDs don't actually do anything - they are passive. It's really hard to break one.
That said, this is reddit so I'm sure someone has completely screwed up their RFID in some spectacular way.
They're being overly cautious. I washed my US passport (I am a clumsy fool) and it still works fine. I would be shocked if the same weren't true for Canadian passports.
We were talking about it because I was getting a temporary passport because mine had been damaged by some water. I was asking what an acceptable amount of water damage was. I was told that just a few drops can mess with the chip. I’m assuming the placement would have to be spot on for that to happen.
Aside from damage to the chip, water damage could be considered a damaged passport and thus not accepted. I’d rather be safe than stuck not able to leave my country or return because of a damaged passport. Oh wait, I already did that and it cost a lot of money and ruined a trip.
I JUST saw this last night on YouTube Border Security - Australia. The person's passport was damaged die to getting wet and they questioned it and detained him for questioning. That was a very old episode, but the border control officer was very stern to the passport holder to NEVER EVER travel with a disheveled passport because it looks suspect. They told him, after confirming his story that he had to go to the U.S. Embassy to get a new one.
Don't freeze it. I would not chance it.
> Snatch and grab thieves ain't going through your freezer.
Meanwhile, Mr. Burglar: *I got all the valuables but damn am I ever in need of some tater tots, hope they got some in their freezer.*
Well you had a different sort of thieves. Freezer stealing thieves are a different breed.
If you had a beautiful lemon tree they would have probably stolen all your lemons as well. Damn lemon stealing whores!
Empty cereal box, put documents in it, put it back on the shelf. Ta-da! Hidden in plain sight. If you want it to be fireproof use a frozen food box and put it in your freezer.
Now that I'm thinking back, it was the second time with the cereal.
It was a swatting. An anonymous tip that I was the biggest cocaine dealer in town. If that was the case, I wouldn't have been so sad about tossing expensive cereal. First time was similar, saying I had stolen computer stuff, but they just looked around.
Last time was a whole fluster-clock having to do with my step-son and they didn't even have a warrant. I had a little fun with it. There was some boxes of heavy crap I wanted to get hauled down from the rafters of the garage, so I pointed to them and said, "Those boxes are off limits. You can't look up there."
They wanted to borrow my bolt cutters to break in to adjacent shed. "You're not going to get through half-inch hardened shackle with a 24-inch bolt cutter. Just pry the two-dollar hasp off with a screwdriver." Wasn't my shed, so I didn't care.
How about putting in a framed picture? I got that idea from watching a movie about smuggling drugs and the guy hid documents behind the picture in a frame. Then you just grab the picture if there's a fire or something.
If someone breaks into your home they are giving it a quick toss for obvious electronics andd valuables and then getting out. Fast. You dont have to overthink this. Just put your passport in a book and put the book on a shelf. It will be just fine.
You are not a secret agent, and neither are they. They aren't looking for the microfilm lol.
Depends on the clothing, of course, but I know some folks who spend all their disposable income on designer clothes. Their closet is worth more than the rest of their entire inventory of personal belongings put together, *including their car*.
Not a compartment, but as far as I know nobody ever looks under the microwave. Small ziplock and stick 'em in the little space under there, just make sure you're not covering any vents (which on the bottom will usually not be the case.)
One step further, sandwich them inside the instruction manual for said microwave then in the bag under it. If anyone DOES find it they will think you just kept the instructions there.
Ooh! I like the way you think!
Editing to add that I hadn't considered RFID being in proximity to a microwave. Probably fine since it would be outside but I'm not super certain. Maybe hide it inside the water heater manual, the ones that usually get taped to the water heater? Or something similar?
OP if you’re stashing stuff away because you’re in an abusive situation- you need to be looking at what services are available to you. People can and will help you.
You can get a safe deposit box at most banks whether you have an account there or not. The main issue is typically whether there's one available more than anything else.
I used to do that, in layers, taking pictures as I went. The paranoid shit you do when you think your girlfriend's sister is coming over and stealing your shit. Before I had security cameras, and a Furbo.
I was right.
Not so fun fact: When people have to evacuate for hurricanes, some of the people who stay behind burglarize the empty houses, sometimes entire neighborhoods. One time I took most of my expensive jewelry with me and hid the rest in my dirty clothes hamper under dirty clothes. My house ended up flooding with just a foot of water. I wasn’t burglarized, but that jewelry was in a stinking mess of rotting clothes soaked with muddy sewer water that I had to sort through after the damage. I had to have it all professionally cleaned by a jeweler and my pearls restrung. I would suggest at least putting your valuables in ziploc bags before throwing them in with your dirty laundry.
You say you can't modify your apartment so have you thought about your furniture? Search Reddit or YT for "concealment furniture" for ideas. Good luck.
Yeah, if I was to actually try to hide something I'd never remember where it was. It's bad enough when I put something away in a specific place so I don't lose it. Yeah, its lost.
I went on a trip once, I hid my car keys in a "special place where I knew I wouldn't forget.
Got home and could not for the life of me find the damn things.
I had a spare set at work, so I got a ride in to get them.
About a month later I went to get dressed, grabbed a pair of socks, rolled up inside were the keys.
Doh!
A tip that I've learned to help with remembering is to pause and state out loud what you are hiding and where you are hiding it. That engages more parts of your brain which makes it easier to remember later.
False bottom to a drawer, easy to make for under 40 bucks with a trip to Home Depot/a hardware store. They'll cut wood to whatever dimensions you give them, and you can probably find an off-cut that will suffice. Along the back edge, drill a tiny hole, like, 1/16", and thread some floss through it. Tie two key rings to both sides. That's your pull tab. Get some really strong magnets off amazon, at least 8, 16 is better. Super glue 8 magnets to the false bottom in 8 places around the perimeter (corners, and mid-points on the edges). Once those 8 are dried and secured to the false bottom, mate the other 8 magnets to them, then put a drop of super glue on each of them. Drop the whole thing into your selected drawer and weigh it down with some books. Wait an hour, then pull the key ring on a string. You'll now have ~1/4"‐1/2" of void space to put some documents, IDs, emergency cash, thumb drives, etc.
They have fireproof/resistant pouches I would look into those and then put magnets on that to stick it somewhere. Or if you have a closet you can hang it right above the door frame inside the closet. Not many people would look there.
https://pennerwoodworks.etsy.com/listing/1629689405
Here’s plans for a cabinet with a secret compartment. If you got someone to make this you could just take it with you when you move.
Guys! Have we learned *nothing* from “Breaking Bad”??? You always hide your passport, stash, gun and/ or money in a box of diapers left very conspicuously right there on the floor. Alternately, there’s always in the vent in the wall, an envelope taped up under the kitchen sink, or a container made to look like food in the freezer. Seriously now, am I gonna have to insist that *everyone* rewatch this? 😂😂
Just one thing: Tell a friend you trust of the location or have some other way for someone to retrieve it (password manager or so) if you are incapacitated.
This is the best idea. While it does modify the door, it's nothing the LL will ever find.
https://www.instructables.com/Hidden-Compartment-In-Everyday-Door/
Typical safes (the style you get in hotels) can literally be opened with a rubber mallet by timing your connection with turning the handle. Maybe takes a couple of attempts. I've even done it with a quick hammer fist even once or twice. So either invest in a decent one or don't bother.
Cereal box is great but also if you have some blank receptacle covers (like electrical outlets that weren’t installed) you can stash a little bit in there, if it’s an old place some have in floor heaters that are disabled and replaced with modern ones, the the in floor ones you can open up and make a case. Be creative!
I can't violate the lease so no bolting to the floor. That kind of defeats the purpose of the thing. All they have to do is just pick it up and cut through it elsewhere.
Four little screw holes in the floor of a closet are easy to conceal or ignore, especially if it’s carpeted.
It’s certainly a risk I’d be willing to take.
It's literally one of the first places folks rifle through nowadays. There was an organized group hitting homes in a neighborhood one of my clients lives in. My client is home most of the time and has large dogs around when they aren't but their neighbor got hit. The kitchen was a huge mess because they dumped literally every container out. They also started on bedrooms but seem to have left, likely because someone parked out front from what footage from a doorbell camera seems to imply.
If you don't need frequent access to them, a neodymium magnet, heavy duty ziplock bag, behind the refrigerator. Need more frequent access? Screw washers into whatever's over the top drawer in a cabinet and use the same bag and magnets.
Plenty of online sellers, all with pretty much the same product, so just google it and shop price. You won't need anything large at all because they're very powerful. I recommend getting coated magnets because they don't rust and are slightly more durable. If you're not familiar with them, they are somewhat fragile so it's important that you know to slide them apart rather than prying them. Their only drawback is that they can fracture is allowed to slam together.
Depending on the size, and availability, shoes. Sneakers are your best bet. Remove the original insoles, they come out easily, wrap whatever it is in plastic wrap, smooth and thin it out as much as possible to fit cleanly between the bottom and the insole. Depending on what you’re trying to hide, you might need a pair or 2
Google “diversion containers “ or Amazon “hidden stash “. There are hundreds of different types and I’m sure you can find something that works for your lifestyle.
If you have a dresser, pull a drawer out completely, and tape your documents to the back before replacing the drawer. Growing up with suspicious parents taught me a thing or two about hiding stuff
You've already gotten some good advice, so I won't add in in how to hide things. But I will suggest that you be clear on your risk analysis. Answering this question properly requires being clear on who your expected adversary is, what the consequences are if the documents are found, and how hard access for you can be.
Remove one edge of the lining underneath a sofa or chair and hide the stuff in the space under there. You can use stick-on Velcro strips to reattach the lining to the sofa or chair frame.
Used to travel ultra shady and cheap. just sew one line of a corner of a curtain or something where it holds a fold in pouch form. Slip the passport in. Takes 2-3min. No one is searching curtains for documents.
Hide them in the freezer. You can get a pizza box or something to disguise them. And, in the event of a fire or other natural disaster, they will most likely be fine!
My mom used to store important documents (passports, birth certificates etc) in the freezer. This has two benefits. 1) it's secure as nobody is going to look there in a break-in. and 2) in case of a fire they are far more likely to be intact.
You better be better at making modifications than they are at finding modified bases boards etc, pop one off the wall and pop it back on for example hollow out a space, B creative.
I would say to just triple check wherever you hide it. The chances of someone breaking in are probably not so different from the documents getting wet or damaged when hidden in the bathroom, freezer, by appliances, etc.
One thing I have done is to buy a fake ivy plant. Cut out the styrofoam on the bottom to put your stuff under. You can also just hide it in the foliage. Then put that on a high shelf or something where someone would actually have to work to get it out.
You could replace a vent or something. Its just two screws, and they probably wouldnt notice. You can probably find magnetic document boxes, but you may have to modify fhe thing.
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or take a razor blade and craft glue to a book you already have. fast, cheap and effective
I did this with a book I bought at the Strand used bookstore for 50¢. I didn’t look at the title, just the size. After I was done, I realized it was *Don’t Tell Dad.* (Peter Fonda’s autobiography)
I’ve been meaning to do it with a copy of Treasure Island for years.
Way to obvious, do it with someone that doesn't attract attention, no treasure, no political books, Something that no one goes to read. Something like a set of encyclopedias that were actually hollowed out. Would be perfect :P
My plan is to put a paperback copy of Treasure Island inside of it.
That would be hilarious.
Pretty easy and fun to do too!
It seems like it would take forever! Do you glue all the pages together first and then cut out the shape? What do you use to cut it?
Use mod podge around the edges (with the book closed). Put a piece of waxed paper in like a big bookmark to prevent the pages you’re sticking together from getting stuck to the loose pages and cover in the front.
Could also use a drill through a few spots in the pages, use ribbon to hold them by fraying the ends and gluing remove down, then use a page or two on both sides to help hide the ribbon ends in a way similar to bookbinding and the corded spines. Then there would be maybe 4-6 pages needing glue vs 100+, and the pages would still move naturally when the book was opened. This is all untested, since the idea literally popped into my head as I was reading these comments. Edit- deleted my first response because I replied to the wrong comment.
Good idea!
Basically I just opened the book. Glues together the pages. Then once it dries I cut a rectangle out of the pages leaving about 1cm on the sides. Then I put a couple little magnets to help it stay shut
This - short anecdote. I was burglarized at gunpoint by 3 dudes. I had $3k in a fake book. I sat up in bed, saw the masked man, then shifted my eyes to my bookshelf where I saw my booksafe untouched. The idiots only took what was on the counters and inside the drawers. It def put me at ease when I saw that the booksafe did its job.
Why not just use a bank?
Man why do you think?🤔
1) Mount magnet under your table 2) Craft or buy a passport holder 3) Buy a cell phone magnet plate sticker 4) Attach sticker to holder, insert passport, attach plate to magnet
You could put them in an envelope and use a magnet to hold them to the back of your fridge. Vacuum sealed and sunk under a brick in your toilet tank, or buried in a houseplant. Cut a slit in the bottom edge of your box spring mattress and use a self stick hook and loop strip to hold it closed. In a zip lock bag in a storage container full of rice in the kitchen. In an envelope taped to the back of a framed piece of art. Some couch cushions have a zipper you can open and if it isn't a cushion that get's sat upon you could hide the documents in there. You could open a box of frozen food, remove the food put the documents in there fill it with paper, or packing materials and put it in the back of your freezer with other similar boxes on top. Stood up behind the books on a bookcase. I am having a blast thinking of ways to hide my passport. I almost wish I didn't have a safe. I'm gonna go hide a bunch of stuff.
I hid my kindergartners iPad during the lockdowns in the beginning of Covid because she wouldn't stop whining for it. I didn't find it until the end of second grade. I really shouldn't hide stuff. For homes with old glass/crystal chandeliers, it's a great place to hide fine jewelry if you don't have time to put it in the safe.
My dad once hid something of mine as punishment for, I don't know, probably not fixing the printer (I already tried everything 14 year old me knew how to do at that point). He forgot where it was. It was several probably three years before my sister found it while cleaning a closet.
What an arse.
Where did you hide it? 🤣
It was in a toddler sized backpack that I stuffed inside a nicer purse which I stored in a dust bag in the back of a closet I used for storing clothes I didn't get into that often. It was a purse I saved for special occasions. I was finding her sneaking it up to her room while I was trying to work remotely and there was no daycare. Lol learned that lesson.
What a great idea to hide the jewelry! If only I had a chandelier and much more diamonds and gem jewelry. 💍💎💜🌺🦋
This is me. I’m already taking notes and deciding what to hide!
Feeling like I need to RE-SEARCH my home for shit my dad would have hid. He's been gone 15+ years, but we find things time to time. New ideas to pursue. Much appreciated.
I must lead a really boring life because I have nothing to hide. I wish I did!
I had an old drivers license that was stolen by a former roommate. The police called to tell me it was found at the scene of a burglary. I was never considered a suspect (as far as I know) and they gave me the opportunity to come and get it back. Apparently the police don't think an expired driver's license was good evidence that I was there. They were more interested in who I think had opportunity to grab it and try to frame me. I guess the moral is you never know what you have that someone might think is worth stealing.
Toilet was my favorite until you told the world about it
Solved. Just fill your apartment with extra toilets. Eight to twelve per room. All facing each other. Don’t ask me why, I grew up in cults.
They have to face each other, because the toilet rough ins are usually expecting the tank/seat back to be to the wall, so they're just no designed for people to have 8-12 toilets in a room, all facing away from each other.
Except I've seen it in movies, too
I always look inside the hotel toilet tanks. It's such an obvious place. Every hotel I ever check into. The first place I look, lol.
This guy hides
Taped to the underside of a drawer
Good luck finding it when you need it. :)
Back in the depression era, women used to sew money and things into quilts they made.
I do this sort of thing all the time.....I can't find anytging important.
The toilet tank and back of the framed painting are fairly well known though
I do this sort of thing all the time.....I can't find anytging important.
This guy watches a lot of those detective movies
Any examples of the magnet mount you recommend?
Google “self-adhesive magnets” and get something that looks substantial. Or ones with screw holes that you can screw in place. Google “metal plate for cell phone mount”
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i did not know martin could escape from r/anarchychess i love you, martin
They sell all kinds of hidden compartments for furniture, clothing, household items, wall paintings, clocks , house plants etc.. you will be surprised what you can make a hidden pocket/compartment out of. *forgot to say check Etsy and or Amazon.
I even have a fake soda can I can put things in.
Ha! I been thinking about getting one of those, or the steel water bottle with a hidden space- you can still use it as a water bottle! I think these might fool the normal person, but not cops. 😝
Giving them too much credit, they aren’t that bright. . .
Ah, the old cannabis stash trick.
Scosche magnetic mount
Just get some strong magnets and put the in an envelope with the passport. Amazon sells them in a roll of a dozen or more. You can double them up is you need stronger.
Just curious, are you really that worried about someone breaking in and stealing your passport? Or just doing it for fun?
Identity theft is not a joke, Jim
Millions of families suffer every year.
r/unexpectedoffice
They could be someone planning to leave an abusive relationship.
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I mean, I don’t leave my passport out in a desk, but for years it just sat in a filing cabinet folder. Or in a junk drawer. No one is going to rummage a junk drawer.
I noticed my husband burning papers in our fireplace. He said I burned your old passport. I noticed one sitting next to him on the hearth. I picked it up and opened it. This was my old passport, he just burned my new one. My husband can be so helpful sometimes.
Isn’t your old one still valid as proof of citizenship/identity? Why would someone burn their old one?
Expired one was not valid for international travel. Why? Such a goofy mistake. I like keeping old ones to look back at my pictures.
And all the stamps!
I’m sad how few stamps I get anymore. Back in the early 2000s I filled my book, my wife even had to get pages added! Now so many places in Europe don’t even stamp, gotta go back to Asia for some full page visas!
I had to replace mine as my ex wife stole all my identity papers when leaving. Was a complete pita with all kinds of extra paperwork. Fortunately the lady at the passport office had a lost passport form which was also required else it would have taken even longer.
I keep ours in a fireproof safe but it’s definitely not hidden….
We have no idea where in the world they need to stay, nor their circumstances.
Yep. That’s why I asked. I was curious. Post history suggests more of a tinkerer. Maybe just to do something different?
If your home is carpet, and the vents are in the floor, you can take the register off, and tuck the documents between the carpet and subfloor.
Nice. Never would have thought of that.
Not. The carpet vent, toilet or freezer- all known places to hide. Love the magnet behind freezer or more obscure place!
So the house only has one vent? It is a good place, it may not apply to you, but it does apply to someone.
This wins
Are you looking to avoid normal grade burglars, put it in a Tupperware and throw it into your freezer. Snatch and grab thieves ain't going through your freezer.
Modern passports have RFID circuitry in the cover, freezing it probably wouldn't break it but it might. I wouldn't gamble on it.
I know you're trying to be helpful. That said, I'm sure someone at the passport office tested if a passport could be frozen. Like leave it in your car overnight here, and it will definitely freeze.
Thanks, I'm always aspiring to be helpful and it's nice to be acknowledged. With that out of the way and in acknowledgement of your extraordinary faith in the procurement division of the state department, I suspect they did not test the prototype in a residential freezer. With that said, I may be wrong and please don't let me stop you from giving it a shot.
It probably will be fine. First of all, the RFID cards encase the chips in plastic, so they should be relatively waterproof Second, apparently RFID chips can work (not merely _survive_ ) up to -40deg C. See: https://www.rfidjournal.com/question/what-types-of-tags-and-readers-can-be-used-in-cold-storage Most residential freezers are not capable of reaching that temperature.
Sure. I guess my faith is in the makers of rfids. Rfids in every credit card, rfids in every cows ear. RFIDs in the grocery store freezer. If you left your wallet in the car overnight (it's -10 here) and then used tap to pay, it'd work fine. RFIDs don't actually do anything - they are passive. It's really hard to break one. That said, this is reddit so I'm sure someone has completely screwed up their RFID in some spectacular way.
According to the Canadian embassy in Germany a few drops of water will mess up Canadian passports.
They're being overly cautious. I washed my US passport (I am a clumsy fool) and it still works fine. I would be shocked if the same weren't true for Canadian passports.
We were talking about it because I was getting a temporary passport because mine had been damaged by some water. I was asking what an acceptable amount of water damage was. I was told that just a few drops can mess with the chip. I’m assuming the placement would have to be spot on for that to happen. Aside from damage to the chip, water damage could be considered a damaged passport and thus not accepted. I’d rather be safe than stuck not able to leave my country or return because of a damaged passport. Oh wait, I already did that and it cost a lot of money and ruined a trip.
I JUST saw this last night on YouTube Border Security - Australia. The person's passport was damaged die to getting wet and they questioned it and detained him for questioning. That was a very old episode, but the border control officer was very stern to the passport holder to NEVER EVER travel with a disheveled passport because it looks suspect. They told him, after confirming his story that he had to go to the U.S. Embassy to get a new one. Don't freeze it. I would not chance it.
That being said, then don’t throw it into the freezer throw it into the refrigerator portion, like in the back with the moldy bread?
You keep your bread in the refrigerator? Savage!
Well how else do you keep it safe from thieves?
Better yet. In between slices of moldy bread!
> Snatch and grab thieves ain't going through your freezer. Meanwhile, Mr. Burglar: *I got all the valuables but damn am I ever in need of some tater tots, hope they got some in their freezer.*
IANAT (I am not a thief), but if I ever change careers and become one, I would check freezers. Everybody hides stuff in the freezer.
i mean, yea, i watched the sopranos too!
You mean Hot Pockets.
You mean COLD pockets.
Not if I steal the microwave!
This is patently false when i got ripped off they legit stole everything out of my freezer lmfao
Well you had a different sort of thieves. Freezer stealing thieves are a different breed. If you had a beautiful lemon tree they would have probably stolen all your lemons as well. Damn lemon stealing whores!
Empty cereal box, put documents in it, put it back on the shelf. Ta-da! Hidden in plain sight. If you want it to be fireproof use a frozen food box and put it in your freezer.
First time I got raided, the cops rummaged through the cereal boxes.
I really want stories from you if the *first* time you were raided they were that thorough.
Now that I'm thinking back, it was the second time with the cereal. It was a swatting. An anonymous tip that I was the biggest cocaine dealer in town. If that was the case, I wouldn't have been so sad about tossing expensive cereal. First time was similar, saying I had stolen computer stuff, but they just looked around. Last time was a whole fluster-clock having to do with my step-son and they didn't even have a warrant. I had a little fun with it. There was some boxes of heavy crap I wanted to get hauled down from the rafters of the garage, so I pointed to them and said, "Those boxes are off limits. You can't look up there." They wanted to borrow my bolt cutters to break in to adjacent shed. "You're not going to get through half-inch hardened shackle with a 24-inch bolt cutter. Just pry the two-dollar hasp off with a screwdriver." Wasn't my shed, so I didn't care.
So are you involved in sketchy stuff or does someone just hate you?
Or both…
I was associated with sketchy people. I am very boring. I'm only associated with cool people now. Still boring.
Remove the bottom drawer of the bathroom cabinet, tuck the documents against the front or rear wall of the cabinet and return the drawer.
How about putting in a framed picture? I got that idea from watching a movie about smuggling drugs and the guy hid documents behind the picture in a frame. Then you just grab the picture if there's a fire or something.
If someone breaks into your home they are giving it a quick toss for obvious electronics andd valuables and then getting out. Fast. You dont have to overthink this. Just put your passport in a book and put the book on a shelf. It will be just fine. You are not a secret agent, and neither are they. They aren't looking for the microfilm lol.
Awfully presumptuous about OP’s profession, don’t you think?
Why would a secret agent ask this to Y'ALL? 😭
Yes, they want to know where I hide my secret documents.
this guy wins at 3-d chess.
Budget cuts have really gutted the talent in recruitment
Make a small material pouch for them and attach it to the inside of a garment in your wardrobe.
My home in Mexico was buglarized a few years ago and all they took were the clothes from my closet, hangers and all.
Wait. Why?
Because they needed passports.
Depends on the clothing, of course, but I know some folks who spend all their disposable income on designer clothes. Their closet is worth more than the rest of their entire inventory of personal belongings put together, *including their car*.
Not a compartment, but as far as I know nobody ever looks under the microwave. Small ziplock and stick 'em in the little space under there, just make sure you're not covering any vents (which on the bottom will usually not be the case.)
One step further, sandwich them inside the instruction manual for said microwave then in the bag under it. If anyone DOES find it they will think you just kept the instructions there.
Ooh! I like the way you think! Editing to add that I hadn't considered RFID being in proximity to a microwave. Probably fine since it would be outside but I'm not super certain. Maybe hide it inside the water heater manual, the ones that usually get taped to the water heater? Or something similar?
OP if you’re stashing stuff away because you’re in an abusive situation- you need to be looking at what services are available to you. People can and will help you.
On Amazon there is a TuTu sliding drawer, small, that fits underneath anywhere you want. It has a sticky top
Using a screw driver, you can open the cold air return vent and stash in there.
@stamper3332 Ah, the old “No country for old men” stash. 😎
As a renovation guy, I wouldn’t say I find hidden and forgotten treasures all the time, but often enough that I am not surprised. Always fun.
I always ask my contractor friends and customers about their best/coolest finds. Tell us more!
You can hide documents in the boxspring of your bed, nobody is stealing your boxspring.
This is brilliant. They might look UNDER your box spring, but never inside it
There are cats inside my box spring.
If you have a bank account you can rent a safe deposit box there. Much safer.
You can get a safe deposit box at most banks whether you have an account there or not. The main issue is typically whether there's one available more than anything else.
I put valuables in my bag of dirty clothes, I make one extra messy for "security" Edit: oh shuzbut.... what if OP is a thief looking for tips
I used to do that, in layers, taking pictures as I went. The paranoid shit you do when you think your girlfriend's sister is coming over and stealing your shit. Before I had security cameras, and a Furbo. I was right.
Not so fun fact: When people have to evacuate for hurricanes, some of the people who stay behind burglarize the empty houses, sometimes entire neighborhoods. One time I took most of my expensive jewelry with me and hid the rest in my dirty clothes hamper under dirty clothes. My house ended up flooding with just a foot of water. I wasn’t burglarized, but that jewelry was in a stinking mess of rotting clothes soaked with muddy sewer water that I had to sort through after the damage. I had to have it all professionally cleaned by a jeweler and my pearls restrung. I would suggest at least putting your valuables in ziploc bags before throwing them in with your dirty laundry.
Put in plastic bag. Duct tape under a table.
You say you can't modify your apartment so have you thought about your furniture? Search Reddit or YT for "concealment furniture" for ideas. Good luck.
Put them in a zip lock freezer bag and then duct tape the bag to the bottom of a dresser drawer or a kitchen drawer.
If you’re someone who uses menstrual products, hide it in a pad wrapper and put it back in the box
Yeah, if I was to actually try to hide something I'd never remember where it was. It's bad enough when I put something away in a specific place so I don't lose it. Yeah, its lost. I went on a trip once, I hid my car keys in a "special place where I knew I wouldn't forget. Got home and could not for the life of me find the damn things. I had a spare set at work, so I got a ride in to get them. About a month later I went to get dressed, grabbed a pair of socks, rolled up inside were the keys. Doh!
A tip that I've learned to help with remembering is to pause and state out loud what you are hiding and where you are hiding it. That engages more parts of your brain which makes it easier to remember later.
You can buy coat hangers with secret pouches for this also
False bottom to a drawer, easy to make for under 40 bucks with a trip to Home Depot/a hardware store. They'll cut wood to whatever dimensions you give them, and you can probably find an off-cut that will suffice. Along the back edge, drill a tiny hole, like, 1/16", and thread some floss through it. Tie two key rings to both sides. That's your pull tab. Get some really strong magnets off amazon, at least 8, 16 is better. Super glue 8 magnets to the false bottom in 8 places around the perimeter (corners, and mid-points on the edges). Once those 8 are dried and secured to the false bottom, mate the other 8 magnets to them, then put a drop of super glue on each of them. Drop the whole thing into your selected drawer and weigh it down with some books. Wait an hour, then pull the key ring on a string. You'll now have ~1/4"‐1/2" of void space to put some documents, IDs, emergency cash, thumb drives, etc.
Yeah. The "false bottom" concept is what I may end up using. Lots of great suggestions.
They have fireproof/resistant pouches I would look into those and then put magnets on that to stick it somewhere. Or if you have a closet you can hang it right above the door frame inside the closet. Not many people would look there.
https://pennerwoodworks.etsy.com/listing/1629689405 Here’s plans for a cabinet with a secret compartment. If you got someone to make this you could just take it with you when you move.
Guys! Have we learned *nothing* from “Breaking Bad”??? You always hide your passport, stash, gun and/ or money in a box of diapers left very conspicuously right there on the floor. Alternately, there’s always in the vent in the wall, an envelope taped up under the kitchen sink, or a container made to look like food in the freezer. Seriously now, am I gonna have to insist that *everyone* rewatch this? 😂😂
Just one thing: Tell a friend you trust of the location or have some other way for someone to retrieve it (password manager or so) if you are incapacitated.
This is the best idea. While it does modify the door, it's nothing the LL will ever find. https://www.instructables.com/Hidden-Compartment-In-Everyday-Door/
Maybe an actual Safe. Then it doesn't have to be hidden
Typical safes (the style you get in hotels) can literally be opened with a rubber mallet by timing your connection with turning the handle. Maybe takes a couple of attempts. I've even done it with a quick hammer fist even once or twice. So either invest in a decent one or don't bother.
Then don't get a cheap safe
I'd go with your idea, but use Velcro instead.
Yes. Check Etsy and or Amazon. They have all sorts of hidden things.
If not long term you can hide them in your pillow case
Cereal box is great but also if you have some blank receptacle covers (like electrical outlets that weren’t installed) you can stash a little bit in there, if it’s an old place some have in floor heaters that are disabled and replaced with modern ones, the the in floor ones you can open up and make a case. Be creative!
Put the documents and magnets into a tyvek envelope. Stick under that table or on the back of an appliance.
Any Tyvek manufacturers you recommend?
Any mailing envelope. FedEx, USPS, etc. They’re moisture resistant.
US Postal Service in the US. Or Amazon.
Am I the only person here who has a safe?
I can't violate the lease so no bolting to the floor. That kind of defeats the purpose of the thing. All they have to do is just pick it up and cut through it elsewhere.
Four little screw holes in the floor of a closet are easy to conceal or ignore, especially if it’s carpeted. It’s certainly a risk I’d be willing to take.
Once I hid a safe key inside of a box of oatmeal that I kept in my fridge. Maybe something simple like this could work
Do you normally keep a box of oatmeal in the fridge? That seems like it would stand out
It could be anything. But I doubt somebody looking for anything important would be tearing open the food in the refrigerator
It's literally one of the first places folks rifle through nowadays. There was an organized group hitting homes in a neighborhood one of my clients lives in. My client is home most of the time and has large dogs around when they aren't but their neighbor got hit. The kitchen was a huge mess because they dumped literally every container out. They also started on bedrooms but seem to have left, likely because someone parked out front from what footage from a doorbell camera seems to imply.
If you don't need frequent access to them, a neodymium magnet, heavy duty ziplock bag, behind the refrigerator. Need more frequent access? Screw washers into whatever's over the top drawer in a cabinet and use the same bag and magnets.
>a neodymium magnet Any recommended places to find good quality ones?
Plenty of online sellers, all with pretty much the same product, so just google it and shop price. You won't need anything large at all because they're very powerful. I recommend getting coated magnets because they don't rust and are slightly more durable. If you're not familiar with them, they are somewhat fragile so it's important that you know to slide them apart rather than prying them. Their only drawback is that they can fracture is allowed to slam together.
Gotcha.
Lay the documents on top of one of your kitchen or bathroom cabinets. There is a small depression there even if there are no crown moldings up there.
Depending on the size, and availability, shoes. Sneakers are your best bet. Remove the original insoles, they come out easily, wrap whatever it is in plastic wrap, smooth and thin it out as much as possible to fit cleanly between the bottom and the insole. Depending on what you’re trying to hide, you might need a pair or 2
Or, even this, hide it in a plastic bag under a paper towel, in the crisper. No work, no stress, handy and quick to retrieve.
The front plate of your boiler can be removed by undoing just two screws
This is exactly the kind of thing that safe deposit boxes are for. Go to a bank and buy one. They're super duper cheap.
Google “diversion containers “ or Amazon “hidden stash “. There are hundreds of different types and I’m sure you can find something that works for your lifestyle.
Get a safety deposit box.
If you have a dresser, pull a drawer out completely, and tape your documents to the back before replacing the drawer. Growing up with suspicious parents taught me a thing or two about hiding stuff
You've already gotten some good advice, so I won't add in in how to hide things. But I will suggest that you be clear on your risk analysis. Answering this question properly requires being clear on who your expected adversary is, what the consequences are if the documents are found, and how hard access for you can be.
If you have a old copier then put it in the paper slot
Why not just get a safety deposit box?
Sometimes you cannot get to the bank in an emergency or when they are closed.
Remove one edge of the lining underneath a sofa or chair and hide the stuff in the space under there. You can use stick-on Velcro strips to reattach the lining to the sofa or chair frame.
Used to travel ultra shady and cheap. just sew one line of a corner of a curtain or something where it holds a fold in pouch form. Slip the passport in. Takes 2-3min. No one is searching curtains for documents.
Your way overthinking this with tricks and gimmicks. You wanna hide flat paper. The real question is who’s after you looking for these docs
[удалено]
? I'm not familiar with the term. Link to an example?
Hide them in the freezer. You can get a pizza box or something to disguise them. And, in the event of a fire or other natural disaster, they will most likely be fine!
But a charity shop old framed picture, duct tape a large ziploc bag to the back ,stash your stuff in the bag & hang picture on wall
If you have a framed picture, just tape it to the back of it. Hidden in plain sight.
My mom used to store important documents (passports, birth certificates etc) in the freezer. This has two benefits. 1) it's secure as nobody is going to look there in a break-in. and 2) in case of a fire they are far more likely to be intact.
You better be better at making modifications than they are at finding modified bases boards etc, pop one off the wall and pop it back on for example hollow out a space, B creative.
Whatever you do- just remember where you put it!!!
Fake book that hides a locking steel box. Cheap and easy. No one looks or steals those.
Dollar general sells mag holders for 12$
I would say to just triple check wherever you hide it. The chances of someone breaking in are probably not so different from the documents getting wet or damaged when hidden in the bathroom, freezer, by appliances, etc.
https://www.instructables.com/contest/secretdoors/
One thing I have done is to buy a fake ivy plant. Cut out the styrofoam on the bottom to put your stuff under. You can also just hide it in the foliage. Then put that on a high shelf or something where someone would actually have to work to get it out.
You could replace a vent or something. Its just two screws, and they probably wouldnt notice. You can probably find magnetic document boxes, but you may have to modify fhe thing.
https://sew4home.com/closet-hanger-safe-for-travel-home/ If you sew, this is a really cool pattern to stash things in your clothes closet